Twitter

So you just signed up for Twitter… Now what? Remember that Twitter is about building relationships and starting conversations, and MOST importantly, listening. In fact, you will probably spend more time listening [or reading tweets] as you begin using Twitter to build your business and/or brand. Twitter is all about finding real time conversations and injecting your brand when it’s appropriate.

Here are 3 ways to help you find related Twitter followers to engage with:

Twitter Directories – Twitter directories such as Wefollow and Twellow allow you to assign yourself to a specific genre[s] relating to your business. This is also a great place to find similar businesses or other influencers within your industry.

Twitter Bio Search – Every Twitter profile contains a short bio entered by the user. Followerwonk is a tool that allows you to search the bio of every Twitter profile. It’s helpful to find people interested in specific topics and niches that are related to your business.

Real-Time Twitter Search – There are many ways to search Twitter in real-time. One of which is search.twitter.com and the other is Topsy. Twitter’s internal search function allows you to search tweets by keyword and location, which is very helpful for finding Twitter followers local to your area. Topsy’s search also shows tweets, trends and other social networking status updates.

Hopefully these three ways will help you find related Twitter followers to engage with. Remember that listening is more important than shouting your brand’s message online. It takes time, patience AND consistency, but by breaking up the time into small chunks, it’s feasible!

When you first heard of Twitter you didn’t pay much attention now did you? I know you have been hearing A LOT about the power of Twitter and how well it works to get the message out. Most of you can probably remember learning about the crisis in Iran, the earthquake in Haiti, the protests in Egypt, Charlie Sheen and the recent earthquake in Japan and thinking, “All of these events have one thing in common and that is… Twitter?!” Think about it. It’s true. Twitter gives every single human being the platform or ability to shout or “tweet” anything and everything they would like. Think of this way… It’s like opening the window to your house and yelling outside whatever it is that you have to say. Except on Twitter it is all recorded and can be categorized for anyone and everyone to find if they want to or need to. This is such a powerful tool to use when you need help. You have a voice and it is now heard.